I Messed Up!! A Story You Should Read Before Buying 'BTTF' Discs

New Dubbed Version Airing on Friday Road Show!

This year, 2025, is the memorable 40th anniversary of the release of 'Back to the Future.' Because of this, the Friday Road Show has been airing the new dubbed version of the 'Back to the Future' series for three consecutive weeks starting last Friday (2/7).

…A new dubbed version?

That's right. A new dubbed version.

Many of you who watched the first film last week probably thought, 'Mamoru Miyano as Marty and Yama-chan as Doc are actually pretty good! Sawashiro-san as Lorraine is perfect too!' But, however,

After all, the BTTF dub just isn't right unless it's the
Yuji Mitsuya as Marty & Takanobu Hozumi as Doc version!

There might be some Yuji Mitsuya Marty fundamentalists who feel this way. I understand. I'm also from the generation that recorded the Yuji Mitsuya version off the air onto VHS and watched it until the tape wore out. So, what do we do?

Let's buy the discs!

That's it! If I can't watch the Yuji Mitsuya as Marty & Takanobu Hozumi as Doc version on Friday Road Show, I'll just buy the DVD or Blu-ray! I understand. I thought the same thing over 15 years ago and bought the 'Back to the Future' trilogy DVD-BOX on Amazon.

I excitedly popped the delivered DVD into my player and started playback with the Japanese audio!

After the UNIVERSAL logo, the clocks in Doc's room were shown, the news about the stolen plutonium, the burnt toast, the automatic dog food can opener... Alright, it's finally time for Marty to appear!

…Huh?

The voice is different!!

It's low! The voice is low! It's not Yuji Mitsuya's high-pitched voice! N-no way! Who is this voice! No, I know! I know this voice! Confused, I finally looked at the dubbing section on the back of the DVD case at that moment.

Marty: Koichi Yamadera

Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

The home video version is not the same as the TV broadcast dub version

That's right. 15 years ago, I learned for the first time that the dubbing on software versions like DVDs is not the same as the dubbing on TV versions. Up until then, I had hardly ever bought discs, and since it was the golden age of rental shops, I only ever watched foreign DVDs with subtitles, so I just assumed that the dubbed versions I had watched on TV were also included on the DVDs.

If I had a DeLorean, I'd want to go back to before I bought it!

By the way, this is a screenshot from Wikipedia, but BTTF has this many different types of dubbed versions.

The one I watched all the time when I was a kid was the TV Asahi version.

Man, I really messed up.

I want the Yuji Mitsuya version!

Several years later, after I got married and my eldest daughter was born, when I thought I wanted to enjoy movies with her, I thought it again.

I really want the Yuji Mitsuya version!

Which disc contains the TV Asahi version? Does such a thing even exist in the first place?! This time, I researched it thoroughly. Based on that, I bought this Blu-ray BOX.

I watched it with my eldest daughter, second daughter, and youngest child the other day, and the nostalgic Yuji Mitsuya version watched as a family really touches the heart.

There is one more thing I must collect

However, there are other pitfalls like this, and another movie that was broadcast when I was a child and remains in my memory is this one.

Yes, Terminator 2 (Special Edition).

It is the 'Terminator 2' Special Edition that was broadcast on Fuji TV's Golden Western Movie Theater. It includes about 16 minutes of footage that was deleted from the theatrical release, such as the scene where Sarah tries to destroy the T-800's chip but John stops her. The dub for Arnold Schwarzenegger is, of course, Tessho Genda! And John Connor, played by Edward Furlong, is Daisuke Namikawa!

According to Wikipedia, this special edition wasn't broadcast that many times, but because I recorded it on VHS and watched it repeatedly, it remains in my memory as if it were the original version.

I have to buy this. I searched for it. The disc is this one.

*Purchased in November 2019.

Man, that scene really is necessary. The impression of the bond between John, Sarah, and the T-800 changes quite a bit depending on whether it's there or not.

When buying discs, be careful about the dubbing!

So, when you buy a disc, please be careful about who is doing the dubbing. If there is a version that has been completely imprinted on your mind from the TV broadcast, you might find yourself saying 'Huh?' when you buy it.

By the way, when it comes to Arnold Schwarzenegger's dubbing, it's usually Tessho Genda, but when I played 'Total Recall' with dubbing on some subscription service, it was Yusaku Yara. When that happens, you end up buying it, don't you? The disc with Tessho Genda.

I ended up clicking 'buy' while writing this note. This is also a pitfall.

Geeks have a habit of following the first dubbed version they hear as if it were their parent.

However, if I had heard a different version first, if I had heard the Yuji Mitsuya version instead of the Koichi Yamadera version first, what would have happened? If I had watched that version over and over again, not just once. I would probably have become a fundamentalist for that version.

...Oh my, this has turned into a somewhat religious discussion.

Thank you for reading. I would be happy if you could leave a comment, as it will encourage me in the future. Also, I created

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I would appreciate it if you could use them if you like. They are also perfect as a small gift for friends or colleagues.

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